Weed Is Out of the Bag... What's Next? How Soon?

Yes, I'm talking about Marijuana! Twenty-one states have legalized it for medical use and two have also approved recreational use. Six more states have legislation pending. The weed is out of the bag and it will be widespread across the country in a matter of a few years for all manner of uses, including recreational. It is important to recognize that these state marijuana laws do not change the fact that growing, distributing, and transporting marijuana continues to be an offense under Federal law. The Attorney General has said he won't pursue cases where the states have approved it. But what about the next Attorney General...and the next?
And these state laws do not change the requirement for the FDA to approve the efficacy and safety of medications. But they are not involved with approving the weed, the kinds, strength, forms and the like on a state by state level. No one is doing that now! Use is pretty much by "trial and error."

There is a drastic need for federal legislation to legalize it on a national level and create some overall format for states to follow in their implementation. This is analogous to the repeal of Prohibition on December 5, 1933 with the adoption of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Prohibition was created by an Amendment (the 18th of Jan. 29, 1919) so it took another one to repeal it.

Because of the current federal law, banks and credit card companies are afraid to allow their services to aid this market. So at the moment, it is pretty much a cash and carry trade and sellers in Colorado are taking great risk dealing in cash and having great difficulty converting it into deposits in some way. According to federal law, that's 'laundering!'

So let me tell you, by the year of my latest novel, 2039, this is all resolved and all the other nasty drugs have also been legalized! "Chapter 5"
Yep. Let's listen in as Jon and Ida react to a vicious accusation thrown at them by Rollie (their handyman/driver) as they are stopped for lunch on their drive to the Canadian border...the year is 2039...Ida is speaking...

Rollie makes this wild accusation...

Now that was a surprise, a big surprise! Like a punch in the jaw! I screeched and put my hand to my mouth, trying to catch my breath. I thought Jon's eyes would jump out of his head.
"ROLLIE! You know better than to think or say that! That's absolutely not true." Jonathon exploded. "Rollie..." Jon said quietly... after a pause... "Are you on drugs-at this moment? Did you take anything last night or this morning? I know you have a users license and you do recreational stuff from time to time. What's the story?" Jonathan probed.
"It's none of your business, but yes, I snorted a couple of lines last night... nothing today."
"A couple of lines?" Jon shook his head. "If you did two, you did three, didn't you? After two, it is well known that users take another about an hour later for a boost and then a line in the morning to fight off a hangover. Are you having a hangover or did you do a line this morning to avoid one?" Jon paused. "Why? Why would you do that knowing you had to go to Hartford early this morning and be commanding this long drive today? Straighten out quick and stay clean, you hear? I'm disappointed with you right now."
Jonathon leaned forward and thrust his arm with finger pointing to the cockpit. "Isn't it time we were on our way. Move up front and drive please."

Jon takes 5mg of Valium to calm down. They go on their way upset and confused by Rollie's accusation. But it is difficult to talk about it then.
Later Jon explains in "Chapter 9."

"I've known for a while that he's a recreational user, little different than a beer or whisky drinker. Listen, we may as well try to forget it for now. We have to be with him for another eighteen hours at least."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Legalizing hallucinating drugs for recreational use was another controversial but successful measure in the Re-Erected Economic plan in the late twenties. After the progressive legalization of medical marijuana, the availability, low price and easy qualification requirements made it generally available to the public, eventually in every state for recreational use as well. From the beginning, leaving it to the states was a mistake. A lot of people were making a lot of money, including state politicians. Growing, processing and dispensing became political, distributed in some places to the highest, underhanded bidders.
Its effect within the population was little different than alcohol. And like driving a car, you had to apply to your state for a purchasing license. When granted, it was added to the encoding on your chip. If you hadn't committed any crime, buying weed at a state dispensary, having it and using it was no longer a crime.
So if marijuana was legal, why not cocaine, crack, heroin, methamphetamine and all the rest? But the federal government wanted it better managed than the marijuana. It was grown and processed only by the Federal government at its federal prisons farms. The Feds had to approve each states distribution plan. The states were required to have their own outlets, not to be contracted to others, with limited hours like the motor vehicle offices. In Connecticut that meant 7:00 to 4:30 weekdays, half a day on Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. The states were required to keep and monitor accurate sales data and usage by licensed people. The data was regularly combed to detect purchasing habits, type of drug and volume, exposing possible secondary sellers. It was a huge profitable business all government levels even at their low prices verses the illegal market.
The major benefit was the huge cost savings that ensued. The Coast Guard, the ATF and state and local law enforcement claimed the greatest savings. The judicial system saw its calendars cut dramatically, petty crime was greatly reduced, prison populations where cut in half. The illegal drug cartels and distributers lost ninety percent of their business.
But the system was not without problems; internal theft, hi-jacking of shipments in transit, secondary sales to the underage, the unlicensed, with price gouging and the like. The problems were basically the same as with cigarettes, alcohol, and guns.
Societal enforcement became the responsibility of the family, the employer and the places of assembly. Drug use on the job was no different than consuming alcohol on the job. Coming to work stoned was no different than coming in drunk. Companies, organizations, families and places of assembly had to enact their own standards of tolerance and enforce them with their employees and customers. Recreational drug use just became another issue that society had to deal with and control.
Between the revenue received and the costs saved, legalized drugs became a financial benefit for the governments. It made a significant impact on improving the economy and lowering the cost of government at every level.